Film splicing apparatus



Aug. 19, 1941.

D. L. BABCOCK I 2,252,685

FILM srmcme APPARATUS Filed Dec. 2., 1938 Dav/0%. fiabcock INVENT OR Y Ih ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 19, 1941- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FIIM SPLICING APPARA'I'UQ A David L. Babcock, Rochester, N. 1., assignor toEastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New JerseyApplication December 2,1938, Serial No. 243,605 .5 Claims.. (Cl-15442) IThe present invention relates to a cinematographic film splicingapparatus, and more particularly to the hinged connection for the filmclamp associated therewith.

One object of the present invention is to provide a film; splicingapparatus which is simple and emcient in operation, and which can, aboveall, be produced at low cost. Another object is at!) provide such asplicing apparatus with one or more hingedfilm clamps the hingedstructure of which is simple to correspond with the low cost of thecomplete splicing apparatus, but which is eiilcient in operation. Andanother object is to provide a hinged structure for the film clamp.

all oi'the parts of which, except'a single spring member,.are integralwith the hinged parts and are stamped out with said parts: And a furtherobject is to provide a hingedstructure of the type described, the partsof which can be assembled practically without the use of tools andsecurely interlock with one another. And another object is to provide ahinged structure where the hinged parts are held in their assembledpositions by a spring me'mber'which in turn serves as, pintle bearingsfor the film clamp. And another object is to provide a hinged structureof the type described wherein said spring member in combination with camportions on ,the -hinged .part integral with the film clamp normallyacts to forcesaid clamp toward its film holding position when the sameis moved from its raised position, and which exerts a clamping pressureon said clamp when the same is in its film holding position.

v The novel features that I consider characteristic of my inventionareset forth with particu larity in the appended-claims.- The inventionit- 'sel i,;however, both as to its organization and its objects andadvantages thereof, will best be understood from the followingdescription of a specific embodiment when read in connection l-lofFig.2,

' Fig. v4 is a section taken substantially on line Fig; 5 is an enlargedplan view of that portion of the splicing apparatus including the hingedstructure for one of the film clamps, andshowing the clamp in itsclamping posltion, and Fig. 6 is an elevation of the cutting and scraping tool adapted for use with the splicing 'apbase plate proper from atable or like support 1 on which the apparatus might be'positioned.

This apparatus is portable, but the plate is provided with twocountersunk openings I! through which screws may be passed it it'shouldbe desired to mount the apparatus onto atable or.

like support. The top of the base plate may be provided with a pluralityof film engaging pins 13 spaced from one another longitudinally of thebase plate by distances equal to the spacings of the perforations in acinematogrpahic film strip F,'see Fig. 2, whereby said' pins are adaptedto engage said film perforations to locate the film longitudinally oisaid base plate. Although only one row of these pins It has been shown,where- ;by the film is engaged only at one margin, two

.rows 01 such pins may be provided, as is well method of:operationptogether with additional 1 .known in the art, so that bothmargins of film the film strip thereon, see Fig. 2, or to be raised topermit a film to be placed on or removed from said pins. To permit thefilm clamp n to engage the film F, the same is provided with an aperturel5 through which the pins I! extend when the clamp is in its filmholding position.

To provide a proper cutting of the film strip F, the base plate I0 isprovided with two elongated slots l6 and I! which extend transversely ofthe base plate and across the film path thereon. The outside edge ofeach of these slots I5 and I1 provides a shearing edge along which thefilm is cut when; the cutting and scraping tool I8, see Fig. 6, which isequal in thickness to the width of saidslot, is inserted edgewiseintoeach slot with the end l8 thereof extending through the slot at oneend thereof and at an acute angle to the base plate so that its arcuateportion 28 will engage the under side of the base plate 10 at the endofthe slot and act as a fulcrum point, about which the tool can bepivoted downwardly toward the base and through the slots to cut the filmalong the shearing edge of each of the slots.

After the two film endshave been trimmed as described, the scrapingandcutting tool is turned edge u of the base plate. The ends :1 of thisspring member 28 are turned outwardly as shown, see Fig. 5, to engagethe pintle recesses equal to the thickness of the ear 25 so that noreversed end for end and the nose 2! on the end thereof is inserted inthe slot IS with the scraping edge 22 of the tool overhanging theshearing edge of said slot, after which the tool is recipnocated in theslot across the surface of the film and adjacent thereto to remove theemulsion from the film. The nose 2| is equal in width to that of theslot It so that when the same is inserted therein 21 and act as pintlebearings for the film clamp. The width of the slot 28 is madesubstantially spring member 28' is then located against the turned downedge .i I between the under side of no sideway movement of the tool willensure, and

v the scraping edge 22 is equal to the amount of overlap which the filmsplice will have so that the correct width of emulsion is removed fromthe film strip thereby. The end of the tool I8 is cut away as indicatedat 28 so as to permit of the nose 2! extending into the slot l8 to serveas a guide for the scraping edge as described. After the film ends havebeen trimmed and the emulsion has been removed from the end of. one

as described, cement is applied tothe scraped film end and the otherfilr'n end is removed from its locating pins I3 and replaced on saidpins after being advanced longitudinally of the base toward the slotsone perforation. Due to the positions of the two shearing edges of theslots l8 and I I relative to each other and the locatin pins I; thissingle perforation advance of the one film end will give the desiredoverlap for the splice which will be equal to the width of emulsionscraped from the other film end. Pressure may be applied to the splicein any suitable manner during the time the cement is drying, and one wayof inducing this pressure would be to lay the tool fiatwise across thesplice and press down thereon.

The splicing apparatus as a whole or its method of operation forms-nopart of the present inventhe base platev l8 and the boss 88 after whichthe ends of the spring member may be retracted by a special tool untilthey snap. into said pintle recesses. The inherent resiliency of thespring member 28 will serve to hold the parts in this assembledposition, and -the spring member will normally force the ears 25longitudinally of the slots 28 so that the forward edge 82 of eachofsaid ears will be pressed into engagement with the base plate It at theend of its respective slot 26. I

It is desirable that the film clamp will normally be moved to itsclamping position when the same is not in its upright posltion,and thatthe same, when in its film holding position, will exert a pressure onthe film strip. The hinged structure is so formed and arranged thatthese functions are performed by the hinge structure itself. The forwardedge 82 of each ear 25 is formed so as to provide a fairly steep camportion 85, a gradual cam portion 88 continues with said cam portion 85,and a break 81. Referring now to Fig. 3, when the film clamp I4 is in:its full raised position the above the lower comer 88 of the base plateat the end of the slot 28 and the force of the spring the total cost ofthe'splicing apparatuswill not be substantially increased due to itsincorporation thereon.

Coming now to the invention, each film clamp is provided at its rear endwith a pair-of spaced downwardly depending ears 25 which extend througha pair of slots 28 in the base plate 18 adjacent one down turned edgethereof. These ears 28 may be stamped out with the film clamp 18 andturned down afterward to make side of the base plate It at therear ofthe slot member 28 being applied slightly below said base in thisposition will tend to hold the film clamp in its raised position, oreven tend to rotate it further back about the pintle bearings. Backwardmovement of the film clamp I8 is limited, however, by the engagement ofthe rear edge 88 of the clamp withthat portion of the top of the baseplate l8 between the slots 28.

Now when the clamp I l is moved downwardly from its upright'posltionenough to bring the cam portion 88 intoengagement with the corner 88 atthe end of the slot 28, the force of the spring member 28 will tend toforce said cam portion against said corner in the manner of'a wedge, andthe cam portion will resolve this spring pressure into a component forcewhich will tend about its pintle bearings this cam surface may 28therein. and a boss 88 formed in the down be gradual. when the clamp hasrotated nearly to its holding position, the cam portion comes intoengagement with the corner 88, and since this cam portion is at a fairlysteep angle with respect to said corner 88, the component force of thespring pressure resolved thereby will be considerably stronger than thatresolved by the snapped to its film holding position through this lastpart of its movement. The cam portion I is in eifect a straight portionat a fairly steep angle to the corner 38 so that the force of the springmember intended to press the ear under a 4 film holding position thecorner]! has not reached the end of the cam portion 35.- Due'to thisfact, the spring member will constantly tend to force .the ears underthe corner 38, even when the clamp is in its film holding position, so

for pivoting said clamp member to said base member and normally actingto move the same to its clamping position relative to the top of said Ybase plate, said means including a' double-ended spring hinge pintle,thedntermediate portion thereof engaging said turned down edge betweenthat there will be a component force tending to rotate the clamp aboutits pintle bearings when the same is in its film holding position, whichforce will give the desired That portion of each of the film clamps lladapted to overlie the picture area of the film strip when inholdingposition may be raised as indicated at Ill so that when not inuse the tool I! may be slid under the clamp between the same and thebase plate id, as shown in ,Fig. l, for the purpose of keeping thecomplete apparatus intact or for packing purposes. The free ends of thefilm clamp may project beyond the edge of the baseplate II, as indicatedat ll, so that they may be easily grasped by the operator to be raised.

pressing action ofthe 'filmclamp on the film strip.

said slots, and each-of the ends thereof engaging a portion of one ofsaid base plate. a

2. A film splicing block comprising abase plate plate having aturneddown edge, and provided with a pair of spaced elongated slotsadjacent said turned down edge and extending away therefrom, means onsaidbase plate for engaging and positioning a film strip for operationsnecessary said ears extending below to splicing, a clamp member,- a pairof spaced;

ears depending downwardly from one end of said clamp member, and eachone thereof extending V through one of said spaced elongated slots, eachof said ears provided with a pintle recess'located I below said baseplate, and a double ended spring member having its intermediate portionengaging that portion of. said turned down edge between said-slots,andits ends turned outwardly to enspring member tends to force said earsinto abut- It will be apparent from the above description that the novelhinge structure'for the film clamp v can be produced at low cost inkeeping with the complete splicing apparatus, and since the partsthereof are integral withthe parts of the apparatus, with the exceptionof the spring member,

they can be stamped out at the same time as said gagesai'd pintlerecesses in said ears to provide pintle bearings for said clamp, wherebysaid ment with one end of said slots. e

3. A film splicing block comprising a base plate having a turned downedge, and provided with a pair of spaced; elongated slots adjacent saidturned down edge and extending away therefrom, means on said base platefor engaging and positioning a film stripfor operations necessary tosplicing, a boss projecting inwardly from said turned down edge andlocated between said slots and spaced below the bottom of saidbaseplate,

parts; thereby eliminating separate operatlons' which are costly inproduction. Further, the ease withwhich this hinge structure can beassembled cuts down. any assembly charge per unit almost to'nothing.Although this hinge structure is very simple and can be produced at lowcost, it nevertheless is emcient inop'eration. It is adapted to hold thefilm clamp in its full raised position, move the same toward its holdingposition when moved from said full raised position, and finally it isadapted to apply pressure to the film strip when in its film holdingposition; all features desirable of a film clamp on a splicingapparatus, and all of which features are only found in more expensiveand more complicated hinge struc- Although I have shown and described acertain specific embodiment of my invention, I am" fully aware that manymodifications thereof are possible. My invention, therefore, is not tobe restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the l splicing,aclamp member for holding said film prior art and 'by the spirit of theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is new and desire tosecure by Iiettersv Par ent of the United States is:-

' pair of spaced elongated slots adjacent said turned down edge andextending away therefrom, means on said base plate for engaging andpositioning a film strip for operations necessary for said clamp,whereby said spring member is said base plate,- a pair of spaced earsdepending downwardlyfrom one end of saidclamp member, a and each thereofextending through one of said. slots, eachof said ears provided with apintle recess located below said base plate, and a double ended spring.member having its intermediate portion engaging said turned down edgebetween the underside of saidbase plate and said boss, and its endsturned outwardly to engage'said pintle recesses in said ears to providepintle bearings held in its assembled position by its ownresiliencywhich also'normally holds each of said ears against one end ofits respective slot. 7 4. ,A film splicing block comprising a base platehaving a,turned downedge, and provided with a pair of spaced elongatedslots adjacent said turned down edge and extending away therefrom,.lneans on said base plate for engaging-and positioning-a film strip foroperations necessary to strip on said base plate, a pair of 'spacedearsdepending downwardly from one end of said clamp member and each onethereof extending member having its intermediate portion" engaging thatportion ofsaid turned downedge between said slots, and its ends turnedoutwardly to e'n sage said pintle recesses to provide pintle beartosplicing, a clamp member for holding s id film strip on said base plate,a pair of spaced ears depending downwardly from one-end of said clampmember and each one. thereof extending of each earabutting the end ofsaid slots pro-- through one of said spaced elongated slots, means lugsfor said clamp, whereby said spring member normally forces one edge ofeach oi said ears into abutment with one end of said slots, that edgevided with a cam portion which-when engaging the end of said slotsresolves the force of said spring member into a component force whichtends to rotate said clamp into its clamping position about said pintlebearings, and which exerts having a turned down edge, and provided witha pair of spaced elongated slots adjacent said turned down edge andextending away therefrom, 7

means on said base plate for engaging and positioning a fllm strip foroperations necessary to splicing, a clamp member for holding said filmstrip on said base plate, a pair of spaced ears depending downwardlyfrom one end oi said clamp'member and each one thereof extending throughone of said spaced elongated slots, each of said ears provided with apintle recess located below said base plate, a double ended springmember having its intermediate portion engaging that portion of saidturned down edge between said slots, and its ends turned outwardly toengage said pintle recesses to provide pintle bearings for said clamp,whereby said spring member normally i'orces one edge oi each of saidears into abutment with the end of said slots, that edge 01' each'earabutting the end of said slots provided with a first cam surface whichwhen engaging the end of said slots resolves the force or said springinto a component ioroe which tends to rotate said clamp toward itsclamping position about said pintle bearings, and a second cam portioncontinuous with said first cam portion, and which when engaging the endoi said slots resolves the force oi said spring member intoa componentforce greater than that induced by said first mentioned cam surface, andwhich is adapted to snap the clamp into its clamping position and inducea constant pressure thereon while

